“Are you just angling for a better table, or did you invite Josh?” I ask, slipping into the booth across from her.
“I invited Jessie and Sasha.”
I freeze and stare at her. “Really?”
Audrey nods, reaching up to pull off her hat and fluff her hair. “I ran into Jessie at the gym yesterday after your class, and I invited her. I really like her.”
“Oh. Okay,” I say quietly, and she kicks my leg lightly under the table.
“Shaynie, you seemed to love Jessie when you met her,” Audrey reminds me. “What happened? She says you’ve been avoiding her since she started working there.”
“She’s fine. I’m not avoiding her; I just…” I sigh and open my menu so I don’t have to look at Audrey’s judgmental stare. “We just don’t have a lot in common.”
“Ha! Or too much in common,” Audrey scoffs loudly and I give her a hard stare. Why is she doing this?
Sasha arrives first. I swear her belly is bigger than it was just a couple of days ago. She rubs her stomach as she wedges herself into the booth beside me. Audrey lets out an appreciative whistle. “When are you popping the kid out? He looks like he’s ready to join us.”
Sasha laughs. “Another two months to go. Although I’d be happy with an early appearance at this point.”
I slide over and Sasha wedges herself into the booth beside me, leaning over quickly to give Audrey a happy birthday and a hug. The waitress comes over and Audrey tells her we’re waiting for one more and orders two Bloody Marys—one for me and one for her. Sasha orders herbal tea. After the waitress walks away, Sasha announces, “Oh, and by the way, he’s a she.”
I jump and spin my head to face her. “You know?”
She nods. “We just found out but haven’t told anyone yet.”
I hug her. “I’m so happy for you!”
And then Jessie is walking toward us, smiling brightly. I give her a small wave. I don’t hate her. I have no reason to hate her. I just don’t want to get too close to her. I feel like I’ll get sucked into a world—Seb’s world—that I’m trying to avoid. When she gets to our booth, Audrey introduces her to Sasha and then starts discussing the day’s plans. She wants to have a big brunch with lots of Bloody Marys and then go shopping and get pedicures. I want to pretend I have a stomach bug and ditch them at the mall.
The waitress comes over with our drinks. Jessie orders her own Bloody Mary and we all order various versions of eggs Benedict. Then Sasha starts making small talk with Jessie.
“So are you from Seattle?”
“No. I’m from Maine,” she explains with a friendly smile. “A hole-in-the-wall town called Silver Bay.”
“Huge hockey town,” Audrey adds helpfully. “They’ve produced more NHL players than any other town in the United States.”
“I see you’ve read the Wikipedia page,” Jessie quips, and Audrey grins.
“My boyfriend is a huge hockey fan. When I told him I met your fiancé he started reciting facts and stats about him, his family, the town. I’m surprised I don’t know his shoe size,” Audrey says, taking a healthy sip of her drink.
I sip mine and pull out the wedge of celery and take a bite as Audrey continues talking. “Your sister is dating Jordan’s brother, right? Is that how you met Jordan?”
Jessie smiles. “We’ve all known the Garrisons since we were kids. My mother was best friends with Mrs. Garrison when they were young.”
I look at her, my eyes sliding to the sparkling multidiamond ring on her hand. She watched this guy grow up. She knew he was going to be a high-paid hockey star and she sunk her claws in early. So did her sister. It’s typical in small towns. My dad and mom were from a small town near Minnesota. My mom, the daughter of a dairy farmer, did the same thing. I asked her once, after I knew about the cheating, why she didn’t divorce him, and her answer was: “And go back to the farm?”
“My mom died when I was eight, and after that, Donna, Jordan’s mom, really looked out for us.” Jessie sips her own Bloody Mary. “That’s delicious.”
The icy wall that blocked Jessie off from my heart starts to melt.
Sasha sips her tea. “That must have been hard, losing your mom so young.”
“It was no picnic,” Jessie admits, and she stirs her drink with her straw, her eyes on the table. She looks uncomfortable so I’m not surprised when she changes the subject. “So you’re married to Trey and expecting a little one? That’s great!”
Sasha nods and smiles. “I was just telling everyone before you arrived, it’s going to be a girl.”
Jessie grins. “Congrats! That’s amazing.”
